The government's announcement of the Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) and Greek foreign policy in general were the main focus of a interview with Deputy Minister to the Prime Minister Thanasis Kontogeorgis on an ERT public radio programme on Holy Thursday.
As he noted, the announcement had made Wednesday "an important day" for two reasons: On one hand, for the first time, human activities in the marine environment were being recorded (fish farming, fishing, tourism, port transport, etc.), but "always with environmental protection in mind,"; on the other hand, it was the first time that "the ultimate potential impact of the Greek continental shelf" was set down, which will constitute "part of the European acquis". In other words, he underlined, "the Greek positions are described within the framework of international law."
Asked if Ankara had been informed of the Greek move, the deputy minister to the prime minister stated that "the facts affecting the publication of the map were known, namely the decision of the European Court of Justice and the deadlines for compliance with the European Directive."
Regarding the Greek-Turkish dialogue, he said that "things are complex", and "the specificities of the relations are well known". But, he added, "if Turkiye considers that it has a different approach in relation to the maps, the path is known: recognition of the jurisdiction of the International Court of Justice".
In conclusion, "the Greek-Turkish dialogue is something that we believe in and invest in, and I think and believe that this is also true for the other side." Moreover, "we should not stop discussing because of the difference we have," said Kontogeorgis.